Introduction
Treating others with preference at the expense of others is known as discrimination. Muslims, who are part of the American society, have been discriminated against for ages. However, and unfortunately, the levels of discrimination have catapulted to an all time high following the 2011 September attack, commonly known as 9/11or 911. For instance, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), there has been a 1,700 percent increase in the crimes related to hate against Muslim Americans (Anderson as cited in Khan and Ecklund 1). This increase was long before the 911 attack. Things have only become worse after the attack (Khan and Ecklund 1).
In view of continued discrimination against Muslims and other groups, America is yet to achieve a post racial/racism stage in its history. Post racial/racism refers to an envisaged where the American Society will be free of any form of racial discrimination. There has been random and uncalled for surveillance of the Muslims in America through government organs like the CIA (Khan and Ecklund 2). This essay seeks to assert the American government has not done enough to fight discrimination against Muslims in America in particular and the world over in general.
America’s Prejudiced Dealing with Muslim Countries
Despite being an ally to America, at some point, Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates was treated with discrimination. In October 2005, DP World is a Dubai owned company through a holding company. It is directly controlled by the ruler of Dubai who also happens to be the Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates. The firm expressed the desire to take over the management agreement from a British owned firm, Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O). The management agreement would have allowed the DP World to manage six great ports belonging to the United States of America (Zunes n.pag.).
As much as there were genuine security concerns, the Congress gave in to popular racist pronouncements through expression of exaggerated fears in regard to possible implications of the transfer of ownership to an Arabic (read Muslim) firm. This was pure discrimination because DP World, just like P&O would only be involved in the normal operations at the ports like cargo handling, docking equipment, and cranes. The task of providing port security, as it were, would have been left to The U.S. Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security (Zunes n.pag.).
The Iraq invasion is another living example of discrimination of America against innocent Muslim countries. According to Koffi Annan, the war on Iraq by American and Britain was illegal since it was neither sanctioned by the United Nations’ Security Council nor was it done in line with the founding charter of the United Nations. (MacAskill and Borger n.pag.). The Bush administration believed that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction which were never found in Iraq. The administration acted so after the 9/11 attacks because they believed that Saddam Hussein was an Al-Qaeda sympathizer and funder. This was all unfounded and is basically seen as an affront against an innocent Muslim country. It should not be lost on observers that sanctions against Iraq had started close to a decade before the invasion; a pointer that it was a progressive plan against Iraq (MacAskill and Borger n.pag.).
Since the 9/11 attack, Muslims in the United States have been labeled a threat to the security in America for the simple reason that they belong to the same religion with extremists who carry out terrorism in the whole world. Muslims have faced continuous and painful isolation and live in potential danger. The following are some concrete illustrations on how Muslims have been discriminated against in the United States of America after 9/11 attack.
Employers, schoolmates and indirectly, the government of the United States have shown prejudice against Muslims. Many Muslims have harassed or relieved of their employments based on the faith they subscribe to. Mohammed Hussein was fired from Trans State Airlines for his religious faith. He was a First Officer who was at best excellent at his work.
School going kids have also encountered abuse and at times beating. Osama, a school going child was constantly harassed because of bearing such a name. It is also common place knowledge that numerous Muslims have had their background checks delayed illegally (Rega B5).
In addition, unpopular and unwarranted federal raids have been carried out after the 9/11 attack. These raids always target people who are recognized as Leaders in the Muslim fraternity yet none of the leaders had any connection to the terror groups in or outside America. An outspoken critic against extremism, a Muslim, Dr. al Alwani used to shuttle from mosque to mosque to preach against disloyalty to America. In return and with a lot of ingratitude, his house was ransacked and many of his possessions damages (O’Driscoll n.pag).
Generally, there have been numerous forms of harassment towards Muslims in America including shootings, vandalisms, fire bombings among others. It is not lost on the Muslim community that Oslo massacre was anti Islam because the perpetrator was a well-known anti-Muslim called Breivik. The murder of several Sikhs mistaken for Muslims point to the extent of discrimination against the Muslims.
The American government can remedy the situation and protect Muslims in America. This can be done through correction in the following areas: ban on international and Sharia law, mosques and community centers, appearance based discrimination, surveillance, mapping of local communities, discrimination against Muslim women among others as explained below.
Courts should be allowed to consider international or foreign laws, among them, Sharia law. Otherwise, it would undermine the courts’ ability to interpret laws and treaties in line with international laws. The government should intervene and protect the already constructed mosques and Islamic centers around the United States against vandalism and any criminal act. For instance, the controversy surrounding the proposed Park 51 community center in New York City should be solved by the government forthwith (American Civil Liberties Union n.pag.).
Muslim women have the right to practice religion and should not be treated in any way that prejudices their religion. The wearing of headscarfs should be treated with contempt as that is part of their religious beliefs. The grouping of communities for easy ethnic surveillance should be done away with. In addition, ransacking of houses belonging to Muslims should be discouraged unless it is necessary to do so, following the right legal procedures.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the U.S. has the ability to promote equality and eliminate any form of prejudice or discrimination through enactment of proper legislation and strict observance of human rights.
Works Cited
American Civil Liberties Union. Map – Nationwide Anti-Mosque Activity. 2013. Web.
Khan, Mussarat and Kathryn Ecklund. “Attitudes toward Muslim Americans Post-9/11” Journal of Muslim Mental Health 7.1(2012): 1-15. Web.
MacAskill, Ewen and Julian Borger. “Iraq war was illegal and breached UN Charter, Says Annan.”The Guardian. 2004. Web.
O’Driscoll, Patrick. “Muslims in the USA Live With New Fears after Attacks.” USA Today. 2001. Web.
Reza, HG. “7 Muslims Win Citizenship Tussle, US Approves Their Applications.” Los Angeles Times. 2006: B5. Print.
Zunes, Stephen. “The Dubai Ports World Controversy: Jingoism or Legitimate Concerns?”Foreign Policy in Focus. 2006. Web.